Closed ice rink sold at foreclosure auction

The shuttered Northwest Ice Rink in Baltimore's Mount Washington neighborhood was sold Wednesday at a foreclosure auction to a top bidder for $490,000, including a mortgage payoff amount.

The buyer, who was not identified, plans to use the Cottonworth Avenue facility for something other than an ice rink, said Paul Cooper of Alex Cooper Auctioneers Inc., which handled the sale.

The ice rink, formerly owned by Northwest Family Sports Center Inc., closed in August 2008 after 50 years in operation. The buyer will pay $435,000, plus $55,000 to pay off a previous mortgage, Cooper said.

Rumors surfaced around the time of the rink's closure that Olympian Michael Phelps and his coach, Bob Bowman, part owners of the neighboring Meadowbrook Aquatic Center, planned to buy the ice rink as part of an eventual expansion of the swim club facility. Bowman could not be reached Thursday for comment.